Chapter 233: A Familiar Feeling
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: A Familiar Feeling
The 54th floor of the 6th Stratum in the Calax Great Labyrinth. In terms of floor number alone, there was nothing particularly special about this area, but due to its unique terrain, it was prone to frequent avalanches, earning it the reputation of being a nightmare for high-ranking explorers.
After all, they were equipped to fight monsters, not natural disasters.
"Where did Iris go?"
Iris, the final Vampire Lord, had just been swept away by an avalanche and vanished. For someone with such a grand title, she was surprisingly ditzy. She’d insisted she didn't feel the cold, yet there she was, her nose running like a faucet.
"Iris! Where are you? Honestly, this woman... or rather, this vampire."
I spent some time soaring through the air with my wings spread, searching for her, but there was no sign of her emerging from the snow. Perhaps because the snow was so deep, I couldn't even sense her mana properly.
—Keeeeeeek!!
Occasionally, creatures resembling sub-dragons called Ice Drakes would fly by and spit chunks of ice at me. They were more of a nuisance than a threat. If I left them alone, ice would cling to my feathers, making my body heavy.
Above all, the wings of Horus, which belonged to a creature from a hot region, lacked proper insulation. If I kept them out and flapped them for too long, the tips felt like they were about to succumb to frostbite.
"I can maintain my body temperature if I coat myself in Aura, but..."
But keeping Aura wrapped around these massive wings all day was a bit much. The two pairs of Gargoyle wings were just as susceptible to the cold, meaning I’d have to coat all six wings in Aura.
Covering such a thin, wide surface area consistently was no easy feat.
"Sigh, that dimwitted vampire. Maybe I should just leave her behind."
While slowly searching for Iris, I tried using the ice magic of the Ice Drakes I had recently consumed.
—Cr-crack...
"Wow, these guys really have proper wings."
It wasn't that they had a pair of arms and legs plus an extra set of wings. Like most wyvern-type sub-dragons, their arms were elongated and functioned as wings.
Since they lived in frigid, snowy regions, their hides possessed incredible insulation. Their flight capability, however, was just mediocre.
Still, I couldn't exactly graft Ice Drake wing-hide onto Horus's wings. Horus had feathered wings, while Ice Drakes had leathery, bat-like wings.
I suppose I could artificially create pores in the Ice Drake hide and plug Horus's feathers into them... but they’d probably all get plucked out after a few flaps.
"Whew."
I now had a rough idea of what Iris meant by 'mastery of Horus's magic.' These unique wing feathers could scrape and pull the surrounding air beneath the wings, allowing for much greater force and power with a single flap.
—Bang! Pop!
Anyway, it seemed Iris had gone into hibernation. I tried shaving down the snow by firing a barrage of Fireballs from a distance, but there was still no sign of her.
I figured she wouldn't die from a mere Skeleton Mage's Fireball, but I gave up on that method since the impact might trigger a second avalanche.
:: Iris? Can you hear me? ::
I used the Lich's vocal cords. If I spoke with intent, I could address a specific creature like telepathy; otherwise, I could blast my voice directly into the brains of every living thing in the vicinity.
:: If you're alive, fire off a big spell so I can see you. ::
The range was quite wide, so she should have heard me. My hunch was proven right shortly after when a massive spell was fired toward the sky from the southwest.
—Rumble...
"That's impressive."
She might sound and act like she has a low IQ, but she was definitely a Vampire Lord. When she unleashed her mana and fired an offensive spell into the sky, the resulting power was enough to kill me even if I were fully prepared.
Through the white, overcast sky where snow clouds blocked the sun, a massive, crimson-black beam of mana shot straight up.
Kreeeeeeeeeeee—!!!!!
A circular hole was punched through the clouds, revealing the blue sky above. Sunlight poured through, illuminating the spot where Iris had been buried alive.
'It looks like a special effect.'
Since I was here to practice Horus's mana, I had performed most of my attacks using it while traversing the 6th Stratum.
It wasn't that there was some grand offensive spell; rather, just as the Megido Serpent manipulated water, Horus manipulated air.
The difference was that the scale was massive, and the power was incomparable.
—Whirrrrr...
The air within a spherical radius of about 1km centered on me instantly gathered into my palm. After only about thirty seconds of mana manipulation, Horus's power had created a sphere of highly compressed air.
I compressed the air from that 1km radius—originally at about 1 atmosphere of pressure—into the size of a baseball and fired it deep into the thick snowbank.
And the moment I released the compression...
—BOOM!!
With a deafening roar, a massive air explosion occurred. Iris came fluttering out of the avalanche like a piece of laundry caught in a gale.
"Iris, long time no see."
"I feel gross."
"About what?"
"Be a little gentler."
"Hmm, sure."
She seemed displeased with the rather violent rescue from the snow; her usually expressionless face looked even more stoic than usual.
Regardless, I brushed the snow off her clothes and body. I pulled out some pieces of wood that had been buried in the snow nearby, lit a fire, and placed them in front of her. As I did, her posture gradually sank lower.
At first, she stood before the campfire, then she crouched. Eventually, she sat down properly, and before long, she was lying flat on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Sleeping."
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?"
There's a monster in the 3rd Stratum called an Ancient Armadillo. It's just a giant armadillo; I think I caught one before. I used its shell as a makeshift igloo and was resting on high ground when I sensed a presence.
"Iris, it seems there are people nearby."
"Mm."
"Don't just 'mm' me. Shouldn't you hide your mana?"
"Fine."
Since there hadn't been anyone around for a while, Iris had forgotten and was still emitting the mana she had unleashed earlier. The makeshift armadillo-shell tent was yellowish-brown, so it was likely visible from a distance.
"They seem to be coming this way. Stay here for a moment."
"Mm."
Because the avalanche had turned the area into a mess, the snow wasn't packed down, making it difficult to walk. The fact that they were moving well despite that suggested they were well-prepared explorers.
'Is that them?'
I flapped my wings a few times to get closer and saw a small dot moving in the distance.
"A four-person party. How nostalgic."
My memories of active duty in a four-person party weren't particularly long, and most of them weren't very pleasant. Still, the party I formed with Rubia and the siblings, Belinda and Benjamin, wasn't bad.
If I were asked to party with them now... they’d probably be the ones to refuse.
—Swoosh!
Boom—!!
I folded my wings and descended rapidly from a distance, landing in front of the approaching four-person party.
Or rather, I tried to land.
"Whoops."
My body in combat form was heavy, and the ground was soft. Since I had dropped at high speed, I ended up drilling about three seconds deep into the ground before sluggishly crawling back out.
In my current form, it was difficult to have a civil conversation with strangers. I looked far too terrifying. After reverting to my human form, I draped the well-insulated Ice Drake hide over myself like a cloak and approached their sled.
—Something is approaching.
—Is it a monster?
—Doesn't seem like it. Looks like an explorer.
My hearing was sharp enough to catch their conversation.
I pulled my Explorer’s Plate out of my storage artifact, hung it around my neck, and spoke in a calm tone.
'Two men, two women... and is that a summoned beast?'
There was likely someone with a skill similar to Mr. Bontes. A large, fluffy sled dog was pulling the snow sled carrying the four of them. Was it a wolf? It was incredibly big.
"Greetings. It's been a while since I've seen other people."
"Halt. For everyone's safety, do not come any closer."
"Yes, of course."
Two men sat in the front of the four-seater sled, and two women sat in the back. They scanned the surroundings for a moment before pointing a sword toward the campfire I had left behind.
"You. Are your other party members over there?"
"Well, strictly speaking, she's not exactly a party member. But there is someone similar over there."
"So... someone you met inside the labyrinth?"
"Ha, not exactly that either. But for now, yes. Let's call her a party member."
This was exactly why I wanted to meet people. They talked so much.
Since communication with Iris was always a struggle, being around humans was much better for my mental health.
"But you said there's only one person there. Are you saying you came to the 54th floor as a two-person party?"
"Yes, that's right."
The youngest-looking woman in the party spoke up. But that hair... was that even physically possible?
'Drill curls.'
To maintain drill curls despite the sweltering and freezing weather of Calax... perhaps she had a skill that permanently turned her hair into drills. Well, at least they suited her.
"I find that hard to believe. A Cobalt Grade on the 54th floor in a two-person party? Must have taken you forever to get here."
"Well, yes. We probably entered last year."
"Isn't... isn't that staying inside way too long...?"
By now, I had become flexible enough to give smooth answers to these kinds of assumptions. There was no reason to tell them I’d entered just this morning, and doing so wouldn't bring me any benefit.
Judging by the atmosphere, the two men in the front seemed to be high-ranking explorers serving as bodyguards for the girl with the drill curls. The woman sitting in the back with her was likely an attendant.
"This works out perfectly. Do you happen to know about the 6th Stratum mid-boss on the 55th floor?"
"Uh... what was it again?"
I recalled it being a spirit that used powerful ice-elemental magic. According to Iris, if I had a frost core, there was no real need to hunt it. The name was definitely...
"The Snow Mountain Witch."
"Ah~ right. That was the name."
The purple-haired girl with the drill curls nodded and spoke.
"Do you have any interest in hunting it together? I need a specific organ, so I can't share the loot... but I'll pay you handsomely."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Your reaction is a bit lukewarm. You know, you'd be shocked if you heard my family name."
"Is that so? You must be a noble."
If she said so, then she was.
"From what I can see, you're a Cobalt who managed to crawl your way up here through sheer luck. They say the Snow Mountain Witch is powerful."
"That sounds scary."
"For your own safety, it's better to move with us. Tell your partner as well."
"Hmm."
I wasn't sure if Iris would enjoy traveling with others.
But personally, I liked the idea.
"Then let's do that."
"At least you're quick on the uptake. I'll take the role of temporary party leader. Any objections?"
"None at all."
Ha, I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before.
'Is she like Rubia?'
"I look forward to working with you. I'm Aven."
"Kanna Belfos. I don't do handshakes, so just remember the name."
"Understood."
Now this feels like dealing with people.